1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of wearing apparel, and more particularly to garments having a pants portion.
2. Prior Art
Aesthetics and comfort are often at odds in the design of garments having a pants portion. On the one hand, it is usually desired that such a garment present a pleasing appearance while the wearer is bending, walking or otherwise moving about in a manner visible to other people. In particular, it is thought by some that jeans and dress pants worn by millions of people for everyday use should present a nonbaggy appearance and be rather form-fitting in the crotch, thigh and buttocks area. On the other hand, it is desired that such garments be comfortable to the wearer while the wearer is sitting or in any other position that might typically be assumed.
With such garments, however, it is found that the design of the garment is such that the comfort of the wearer is less than optimum. Especially, it is found that the wearer may experience some discomfort in the crotch area while sitting or crouching, even in pants in which the crotch of the garment is normally an inch or more away from the crotch while the person is standing or walking. In such positions the crotch of the pants "ride-up" to the crotch of the wearer so that the pants feel tight and uncomfortable to the wearer in the crotch area.
Prior to the present invention, the problem of providing conventional garments having a pants portion suitable for everyday use that are both aesthetically pleasing, from the point of view of not being too baggy in the crotch area, as well as comfortable in the crotch area has not been solved. Most of the previous inventions and designs have been concerned with specialized tight fitting pants or undergarments and most of these have evinced little concern for aesthetics. An exception is the invention described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,989 issued on Feb. 8, 1983 to the present inventor and entitled "Seamless Crotch." That patent concerns especially form fitting garments of the type generally worn for dancing, exercise or similar activities. That invention solved the problem of crotch ride-up in such garments in an aesthetically pleasing manner through the use of a crotch piece whose shape was generally that of an elongated diamond having concave edges and which was fabricated of material stretchable in at least one direction. Subsequent to the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,989, through further thorough research, the positive conclusion was reached that a crotch piece having some structural similarities to the crotch piece described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,989 could enhance the comfort of conventional type pants, including jeans and dress pants and also including pants having truncated leg portions, commonly referred to as shorts, in an aesthetically pleasing manner, and that such a result could be obtained in such pants with the use of a crotch piece which is nonstretchable in any direction.